HAMTV from the ISS

The original HamTV unit was installed on the ISS in 2013 and commissioned in April 2014 and was used for a number of ARISS schools contacts in 2016 - 2018. The unit failed in 2019 and was shipped back to Kaiser Italia for repair.

Following repairs carried out last year it now looks likely that the original HAMTV unit will be returned to the ISS with potential commissioning by a visiting astronaut during Spring 2024.

What is HamTV

HAMTV is the name of the Digital Amateur Television (DATV) transmitter on board the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS).

It transmits Digital video and audio in MPEG-2 format using the DVB-S protocol in the 13cms band.

HAMTV specifications

Ham Video downlink frequencies

• 2395 MHz (main operating frequency)
• 2369 MHz
• 2422 MHz
• 2437 MHz

DVB-S modulation

• Symbol rates: 1.3 Ms/s and 2.0 Ms/s
• FEC : ½

RF output

The HAMTV transmitter produces 10 watts RF, however this is then fed through a series of interconnecting cables and bandpass filter before passing through the ISS Columbus module external wall. Estimated power at the antenna is ~ 2 watts.

HAMTV antenna

The HamTV transmission runs relatively low power on 2395MHz to a simple patch antenna on the ISS.

This patch antenna is located on the earth side of the ISS but is surrounded by solar panels, thermal radiator panels, two or more visiting vehicles and robotic arms.

The ISS also “flies” slightly nose down to protect the cupola windows from space debris and so the RF performance, particularly when it is rising from the west, is slightly unpredictable.

The transmissions are right hand circular polarised (RHCP)

Video format

• NTSC
• SIF resolution: 352×240 or D1:720×480

What is HAMTV used for?

The primary use is during ARISS schools contacts, when the astronaut will use a camera to show himself and the inside of the ISS during the VHF radio contact.

It is hoped that test patterns, including JPEG images, will be transmitted when the cameras are not in use.

When will HAMTV be "on the air"?

It is unlikely that the HamTV transmitter will be on air 24/7.

During the first flight on the ISS between 2014 and 2018 it was used primarily for ARISS schools contacts but transmitter was left on at other times but no video was transmitted. This did allow groud stations to test their receive equipment and it is hoped a test signal generator will be included when it is re commissioned in 2024.

Once re-commissioned it will be tested before contacts and will be added to the Amsat status page https://www.amsat.org/status/

How to receive HAMTV?

There are a number of challenges to receive HAMTV from the ISS and a typical ground station is made up of the following elements

A typical groundstation system block diagram

Ground station antenna

The HamTV transmission runs relatively low power on 2395MHz to a simple patch antenna on the ISS. This patch antenna is located on the earth side of the ISS but is surrounded by solar panels, thermal radiator panels, two or more visiting vehicles and robotic arms. The ISS also “flies” slightly nose down to protect the cupola windows from space debris and so the RF performance, particularly when it is rising from the west, is slightly unpredictable.

This means an antenna with reasonable gain is required to receive the signal and whilst it is possible to receive the signal on a simple antenna when the ISS is overhead, to enable more than 5 minutes of reception, a higher gain antenna such as a dish with an efficient feed system is required.

A 1mt or larger dish is optimum but smaller antennas such as flat plate or patch antennas will work and have the advantage of a wider beamwidth making it easier to track the ISS.

Pre-amp and filter

A low noise pre-amp with band pass filter tuned to 2395MHz should be connected directly to the antenna feed point to minimise co-ax losses.

Note that 2395MHz is only 5MHz below the 2.4GHz WiFi Channel 1, so good filtering will be needed to prevent WiFi from getting into the wide band satellite tuner.

If you are powering the LNA at masthead up the co-ax, you will need to place the DC inseerter AFTER the filter.

Do I need a downconverter

The HAMTV frequency on 2395MHz is outside the frequency range of a standard consumer set top box or satellite tuner.

Unless you are using the BATC MiniTiouner Mark 2 or PicoTuner USB receiver equipped with the Serit 4434 NIM, which can tune up to 2450MHz, you will need a frequency down converter to place the HAMTV signal between 950 and 2150MHz which is within the range of a standard satellite receiver.

Note: The MiniTiouner Mk1 PCB with a Sharp or Eardertek tuner does NOT cover 2395MHz and will require a downconverter.

The downconverter should be placed between the low noise amplifier and satellite receiver – placing it at the masthead will mean that lower grade feeder can be used to bring the IF signal back to the shack.

Previous suppliers of a suitable down converter, such as Kuhne Electronics, no longer market suitable downconverters and BATC strongly recommends purchasing a new USB tuner hardware using the Serit 4334 tuner rather than building or sourcing a down converter - see next section on HamTV receivers.

Digital receivers for HAMTV

The HamTV transmissions can be received using a DVB-S receiver capable of decoding 2 Msymbol / second MPEG2 transmission. This means that a standard consumer Set Top Box (STB) can be used. However, because the signal is only available during the ISS pass it is essential to use a receiver that can be set to both the frequency and symbol rate before the pass.

A receiver, such as a typical consumer STB, that need to scan the frequency is unlikely to lock to the signal in the time available during the pass.

Receivers designed for DATV

Hardware

Ideally a receiver designed for receiving DATV signals should be used. The BATC Minitiouner and PicoTuner are PCBs which host the Serit 4334 satellite tuner and a USB interface. This unit is designed to be built at home, requiring only intermediate skills and does not use surface mount components.

The hardware is connected to either a PC or Raspberry Pi 4 using the USB 2 connection.

As mentioned above, the original BATC MiniTiouner Mk1 PCB launched in 2015 with a Sharp or Eardertek tuner does NOT cover 2395MHz and will require a downconverter. As well as covering the HAMTV frequency without a down converter, the Serit 4334 has much better RF performance than the original Sharp and Eardertek units and has been integrated into the OpenTuner and Portsdown DATV receive systems.

Software

When the original HAMTV was on the air, due to a problem with the DVB tables in the transmission, the MiniTiouner software by F6DZP running on Windows had to be used.

During the last 8 years many developments have taken and so we have a choice of software:

• Ryde - Raspberry Pi 4 based set-top box software designed specifically for DATV

• Portsdown -

• Opentuner

• MiniTiouner - the MiniTiouner software is still available however the author F6DZP is no longer involved in the amateur radio community so is not providing support or enhancements and you can no longer register on the Viva DATV forum to download the software.

Finding the signal

Always check the HamTV transmitter status before attempting to align your system as it is unlikely that it will be left on 24/7 and it certainly will not be available when EVAs (space walks) and docking of space craft are happening. It is likely but not confirmed that the status will be published on the ARISS international website and Twitter account – the ISSfanclub website may also have the status updates.

Tracking the ISS

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of receiving HamTV is that, unlike the QO-100 satellite available in the Europe and Africa, the ISS is not geo-stationary and orbits the earth every 96 minutes and is visible at any location for a maximum of 11 minutes.

In order to track the ISS, an azimuth and elevation rotator system is required. The most commonly used system is the Yaesu G5500, which is capable of rotating a 1.2m dish with a 5 degree beam width to track the ISS. When choosing/designing your system remember the ISS does go north of 50 degrees and so any system will need to be capable of flip mode to track it when it goes overhead.

Computer software is required to control the rotator system – there are a number of programs out there but I prefer PSTrotator which is a very versatile system with almost unlimited number of interfaces to control rotators.